BY
Sophie Griffiths

OutOfOffice.com aims to become ‘first port of call for gay travellers’

A new gay-friendly travel agency has launched, ensuring that all of its holidays are suitable for both LGBT and straight customers.

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TV's Darren Burn sets up in LGBT travel

OutOfOffice.com is the brainchild of former ITV News journalist Darren Burn, in partnership with Ross Marshall and Andrew Harding who previously launched Your Golf Travel and Spabreaks.com. They claim OutOfOffice to be the first dedicated OTA to cater specifically for the LGBT market.

The OTA, which features photos of LGBT couples alongside straight couples, was launched after Burn submitted a pitch to British Airways’ business life magazine to create a new travel business.

It features more than 100 original itineraries, and said that it would only work with suppliers that it has verified as “gay friendly and welcoming”.

“For years I’ve seen travel websites and companies neglect the LGBT market, especially in the marketing and photos they use,” Burn said.

He added that the idea for the website came from his own experiences in booking a holiday.

“I never felt that anything catered for the kind of holiday I wanted to go on – one where I can immerse myself in a destination, experience it in full but also safe in the knowledge that all the people I’m handing my cash to are welcoming to gay travellers.”